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Early last year, Airservices Australia selected consultancy Deloitte, technology specialist McLaren and aviation specialist NATS to prepare the institution for the further development of the aviation industry. Since then, a number of digitization and innovation programs have been launched, including the introduction of a digital twin.
As the continent’s provider of air navigation services, Airservices Australia expects the volume of conventional flights in its airspace to double over the next two decades. Meanwhile, the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles in low-altitude airspace—from air taxis to delivery drones—is accelerating the need for new intelligent systems, complicating an already difficult job.
A digital twin for the better
Making better use of data using a digital twin combined with IoT and machine learning techniques is one avenue Airservices Australia is exploring to address these challenges.
A “digital twin” is a business operation that is replicated and analyzed in a digital environment, with improvements and solutions then simulated or implemented in the real world. The technique is derived from Formula 1 simulation technology and is increasingly being implemented in the aviation industry, including air traffic control.
Mick Snell, Service Strategy Manager at Airservices Australia, said: “The aviation industry is evolving rapidly and it is vital that we evolve with it. We must move to take advantage of new technologies to make our services faster, more efficient and more valuable to our customers, airlines and other airspace users.
The Service Strategy team, led by Mick Snell, began their digital twin development project in early 2019 with a practical goal: to see if a digital twin could improve Airservices’ ability to manage its current air traffic network. For example, could it be used to improve flight routes, optimize take-off times and reduce delays?
The team began by developing a digital twin of the Airservices air traffic network using historical air traffic data. The team has completed four proofs of concept confirming the original objective and is looking forward to piloting them alongside existing air traffic control systems. Proofs of concept were able to optimize flight paths based on real-time conditions to better manage traffic flow.
While the digital twin project is still in development, it also serves as a testing ground for improving Airservices’ traditional ways of working. The company’s heritage is based on the safe provision of navigation services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With an unwavering focus on safe, efficient and reliable service delivery, the increasing complexity of the airspace forces Airservices to explore new solutions.
Agile work
The digital twin project is helping to change Airservices’ view of what is possible. The team tested an agile development approach to reduce time to market while maintaining a focus on security. Teams deliver working software at a faster pace—iterating, testing, and learning in short sprints—while continuing to deliver safe and accurate predictions.
And while Airservices employees have deep aviation knowledge, the company also needed specialized technical expertise to build and implement advanced analytics capabilities. The team filled this gap with vendors and consultants who offer highly relevant experience and off-the-shelf technologies.
“We chose Deloitte and McLaren because we are increasingly looking for opportunities to work with people outside of the aerospace industry who can deliver benefits quickly.”
– Mick Snell, Service Strategy Manager at Airservices Australia
In the meantime, the team continues to uncover relevant use cases for the digital twin. For example, air traffic controllers currently work in their assigned airspace regardless of traffic volume. To optimize the workload of control teams, it plans to use a digital twin to allocate airspace to controllers based on anticipated customer demand, rather than fixed geographic locations.
Decision making on the fly
Optimization is an extremely complex problem that requires volumes of real-time data to support on-the-fly what-if scenarios that help air traffic controllers make faster and smarter decisions. A digital twin can also enable Airservices customers (pilots) to optimize flights based on what is most important at the time. For example, optimizing airspace and routes helps to increase on-time arrivals and save fuel, but the pilot may decide to exchange fuel for a higher speed so that passengers do not miss their connections.
Ultimately, Airservices plans to use digital twins to develop and test strategies to address the disruptive innovations likely to impact its airspace. Strategists will be able to rapidly test a wide range of scenarios for managing the multidimensional airspace of the future.
After the proof-of-concept phase is complete, the team moves into pre-production. Members will be testing with current data for a few more months before moving into full production, planned for this year. Snell states: “We’ve been able to accelerate to a result much faster – we’ve come further in the last eight months than we have in the last eight years.”
Commenting on the partnership with Airservices Australia, Mike Phillips, McLaren Commercial Director, said: “It is very promising to see another of the world’s leading air service providers working with us to improve the operational efficiency of their business. By bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds, we can provide direct benefits to the provider’s customers by making better and faster decisions.”
Martin Bowman, partner in Aviation Technology at Deloitte added: “Data-driven decision-making can deliver a range of new operational benefits for airline staff and passengers.”
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